


Fire and Ice

by Ceata88



Series: Spirit AU [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: I love Jack with sharp teef, M/M, Trans Male Character, marigold is a little shit, spirit!au, these boys were so happy once
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 23:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11263254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceata88/pseuds/Ceata88
Summary: Bits and pieces about Jack and Gabriel from my spirit!AU that aren't going to make it into the main fic.





	1. Thermal Equilibrium

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting this from tumblr since I'm going to have to post a few of these on here due to length. Some of you might have seen these buuut here they are again. Might add more onto this if I make more. Lemme know if you have any requests. 
> 
> Cliche title is cliche
> 
> Anyway this bit is about the time when SEP enhancements made their magic abilities go out of wack.

    It all began only two weeks into SEP.  
  
    Gabriel was still trying to figure his roommate out. The blond farm boy looked more like he should be in an IT school than the military. It was a good thing he never said that, or he’d be eating his own words on the first day of training. The guy could use some more work on his upper body but he outran everyone without breaking a sweat.  
  
    How was he that fast?  
  
    He didn’t bother Gabriel much. A bit chatty and certainly nosy but he respected Gabriel’s space. At first that was fine, as Gabriel wanted to stick to himself.  
  
    Jack Morrison, however, had piqued Gabriel’s curiosity.  
  
    It wasn’t just his athletics either. Ever since he came back to the room late, Gabriel had been watching him like a hawk. He swore blind he saw Jack’s eyes glowing.  
  
    But a week after that, he got his answer.  
  
    The higher ups had roommates alternating schedules for injections, in case something went wrong. Gabriel had spent most of the day in the gym, catching up after his last reaction. The movement helped loosen up his muscles, a relief compared to the pain they were in.  
  
    He noticed something was off the moment he stepped into the room. Was it colder? He swore the temperature just dropped ten degrees.  
  
    “Morrison?” Gabriel dropped his bag on the floor as he headed inside.  
  
    There was no response, but he could hear something. There was a muffled clattering and he peered into Jack’s side of the room.  
  
    The first thing that stood out was the huge clump of blankets on the bed. He stepped over to it, watching them shake as the chattering got louder.  
  
    “Morrison? You in there?”  
  
    The blankets shifted and wiggled before Jack poked his blond head out.  
  
    “H-hey.” The chattering was coming from his teeth. His skin was even paler than usual, almost blue. Gabriel could actually see faint freckles on his cheeks.  
  
    “Jeez, what happened to you?” He tried to count the blankets. “And where did you get these?”  
  
    “St-stole ‘em. You can t-t-take yours back if-f-f you need it.”  
  
    “Looks like you need it more. The injections do this?”  
  
    “Think so.”  
  
    “Are those blankets helping?”  
  
    Jack weakly shook his head.  
  
    Gabriel bit the inside of his cheek. He figured Jack would be fine. The mess would pass like the rest of their symptoms. Still, the guy looked like he was about to to slip into hypothermia.  
  
    He couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him.  
  
    Did the base have any sort of heaters? He knew there were ice packs in the med bay but were there any for heat? He doubted the people here cared much about sore muscles. The only warm thing he could think of was coffee and he couldn’t just jam that under the sheets.  
  
    Would he get in trouble for building a fire in his room?  
  
   _“Master Reyes you cannot be serious.”_ Marigold grumbled.  
  
_Hey, I shouldn’t use you. I’m supposed to keep you a secret remember?_  
  
_“Believe me, it won’t matter in this case.”_  
  
    Gabriel frowned. What did that mean?  
  
   _“Trust me.”_  
  
    Jack had crawled back under the blankets. The stack was still shaking.  
  
    Gabriel sighed and kneed the mattress. “Make room.”  
  
    “Huh?” It was hard to hear Jack through the sheets.  
  
    “Move over and make room.”  
  
    “Why?”  
  
    “You want to warm up right? Or do you like being a popsicle.”  
  
    Jack mumbled something but finally tossed the blankets up. The rest of his skin was worse, the tips of his fingers actually turning blue as he tried to jam them under his arms.  
  
    Gabriel decided to not think twice about this decision as he climbed on the bed and tugged the covers over them both. He noticed the temperature right away, even colder than outside. How was that even possible.  
  
    “Shit Jack, what are you made of, liquid nitrogen?”  
  
    He chuckled at that, the chattering of his teeth slowing down. Gabriel couldn’t see anything with how dark it was and just crossed his arms. His elbow brushed against Jack, and he was about to apologize for it until suddenly his roommate was clinging to him.  
  
    The cold hit him harder than getting hit with a bucket of ice water. The chill spread down his spin in horrible slow motion down to his finger tips.  
  
    He screamed.  
  
    “S-shit, sorry.” Jack let go.  
  
    “Holy hell, god damn. I’ve never felt something so cold in my life.”  
  
    “Sorry, you’re just... weirdly warm.”  
  
    Gabriel scrambled for an excuse. “I just finished up in the gym.”  
  
    Jack hummed in acknowledgement. His shivering was shaking the entire bed.  
  
    Gabriel sighed as he moved his arm over. This time Jack was a bit slower to take it. The cold was sharp, but after a few seconds it dulled down enough to ignore it.  
  
    He struggled to find something to talk about. Jack wasn’t particularly chatty, which was weird. Usually when they did talk Jack did most of it and now Gabriel was left up a creek without a paddle.  
  
     _“Good gracious you’re hopeless.”_ Marigold scolded. _“Just talk to him.”_  
  
    Easier said than done. Where did he even start? He barely knew what kind of things Jack liked apart from that hidden stack of comic books. It seemed weird now, with as much as Jack liked to talk, how little Gabriel actually knew about him. Jack must have talked about it before right? Did Gabriel just forget? He remembered a few mentions of a farm, Indiana, his parents and some asshole from high school named Martin.  
  
    “So uh,” Gabriel rubbed his neck with his free arm. “You used to run track or something?”  
  
    “What?” Jack glanced up at him and Gabriel swore he saw that same glow for a moment.  
  
    “You’re so damn fast on the field. How did that happen with those scrawny legs of yours.”  
  
    “H-hey,” He shivered. “They aren’t th-that scrawny. Not all of us can have m-monster thighs like yours.”  
  
    “Huh?”  
  
    “N-nothing.” Jack pressed his forehead against Gabriel’s shoulder. Felt like an ice block. “But n-no I didn’t. Did a few years of hockey though.”  
  
    Gabriel snorted, trying to picture his roommate in all that bulky gear. “Hockey? Really? Wouldn’t have guessed that.”  
  
    “W-what, you didn’t do any sp-sports when you were younger?”  
  
    “Not much, didn’t have the time. Played some soccer in elementary I guess.”  
  
    Jack was laughing until another chill hit him, bad enough that his whole body went tense. He pulled Gabriel’s arm even closer, clinging to it. Those cold fingers digging into his skin felt like needles.  
  
    “You sure you don’t want see the doctors about this?”  
  
    “N-nothing they could,” He had to pause, “do. Just have t-to wait for it to p-pass.”  
  
    Gabriel sighed, mulling over the stupid idea hovering before him. He had a possible solution to this, but he didn’t know if he could trust Jack enough with it. Still, he’d never seeing the shining, optimistic and determined Jack Morrison look so bad. Even when curled up on the bathroom floor waiting to puke again he’d flash Gabriel a thumbs up and a small smile.  
  
    “Listen,” Gabriel said. “I might have something that can help but... one, you can’t tell anyone. And two, don’t scream.”  
  
    “Don’t scream at wha-”  
  
    He didn’t want to think twice about it. He held out his hand and snapped up a flame. The dark space under was filled with orange light.  
  
    Jack screamed anyways. “Holy shit!” He scrambled back, apparently forgetting they were on a bed. He vanished behind the mattress, hitting the floor with a loud thud.  
  
    “Morrison?” Gabriel slid over, lifting the blankets enough to see out. Jack was laying on his back, blue eyes wide as they stared at the ceiling, still shivering.  
  
    “You just, you’re hand is on fire.” He shouted again.  
  
    “Heh, yeah,” Gabriel smiled and held it out. “Catch.”  
  
    Jack panicked then the flame was tossed into the air. He cringed when he reached out, trying to stop it from landing on the floor. It softly bounced off his palms, hovering above them. Slowly Jack opened his eyes. The chattering in his teeth stopped.  
  
    “Whoa,” He brought it closer. “It’s not... it doesn’t burn.”  
  
    “Nope, healing fire. Pretty crazy right?”  
  
    Jack’s body shivered again and he practically pressed his face into the flames. “How?”  
  
    “Uh, this spirit thing. She gives me some crazy abilities.”  
  
    “Wait,” Jack lifted his face back up, the flame slowly going out. “You too?”  
  
    Gabriel blinked and stared. He’d never even considered it before. Of course this kind of cold wasn’t natural. Of course the glowing eyes weren’t either. Why the hell hadn’t he even considered it?  
  
    Wait a second.  
  
     _Did you know?_  
  
    Marigold was giggling. Damn bird.  
  
    “You have one?” He finally asked.  
  
    “Yeah, my uncle gave me this wolf. He has some ice powers so... He mentioned that all this experimentation might cause some weird side effects. That’s why it’s so-” A shiver cut him off. The flame was gone by now.  
  
     _Can that actually happen?_  
  
     _“Yes, often times drastic changes to your physical makeup forces your abilities to adjust as well. It can take some getting used to.”_  
  
    Great, did that mean he was going to turn into overdone hotcake at some point? He didn’t want to think about that. Some days this heat was frustrating enough to deal with.  
  
    “What’s y-yours?” Jack had his hands tucked under his arms again.  
  
    “A phoenix.”  
  
    “What? That sounds so cool.”  
  
    Gabriel couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think you’re the _cool_ one here, Morrison.”  
  
    “F-fuck off.”  
  
    “Come on,” He lifted the blankets higher. “Get back under here. I’ll turn it into a toaster oven for you.”  
  
    Jack almost seemed to cringe at the idea, but with another shiver he was scrambling back onto the bed. Gabriel lit both hands this time, letting the flames crawl up to his shoulders. Jack was clinging to him all over again, his shivering almost coming to a complete stop.  
  
    “‘S like hugging a big toasty marshmallow.” Jack mumbled.  
  
    Gabriel laughed. “You serious there, Morrison?”  
  
    “What? Makes me think of bonfires.” His voice was drifting off, like he was about to fall asleep. “Outside on a summer evening. Everyone trying to make s’mores, but half the marshmallows catch on fire. Smells like burnt sugar and smoke.” His grip loosened. “I miss all that, sometimes.”  
  
    Gabriel had never experienced something like that before, but found he had no trouble picturing it in his mind. “Tell you what, first break we get we’ll buy some marshmallows and I’ll toast them for you.”  
  
    Jack chuckled, cold breath against his skin. “Can you do that with phoenix fire?”  
  
    “Well I’ve toasted poptarts before.”  
  
    Jack’s laughter got louder before it drifted off. His breathing slowed down, but at least his teeth weren’t chattering. Gabriel considered slipping out but instead he stayed there, trying to remember the last time he’d eaten a s’more.  
  
    It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep as well.  
  
\-------------------  
  
    It became a sort of routine between them. Gabriel burned hot. Jack burned cold. Close contact almost became the norm whenever they were in their room, even if it was as simple as leaning on each other on the couch. If the injections caused Jack’s temperature to drop he’d sometimes just cling to Gabriel’s back, even when the soldier moved around the room. Other times when Gabriel got back from the gym, his system unable to cool down, he’d grab one of Jack’s hands and press it against his forehead. If that one got too warm he’d grab the other one.  
  
    Sometimes he couldn’t quite tell if it was his abilities or not that were causing Jack to go so red in the face.  
  
    Eventually the injections did him in as well. It wasn’t too noticeable at first. He was taking some time to let the nausea pass, lounging on the couch and praying he didn’t puke. His body felt hot, hot enough that he got up to get some water, but that temporary solution vanished. He could feel himself sweating, trying to stay hydrated but after holding the water long enough he could see the top of it steaming.  
  
    What the hell?  
  
    His shirt got damp and kept clinging to his skin. Sweat pants were obviously not an option. He couldn’t even leave his beanie on with how damn hot it was, his curly hair clinging to his forehead. There was no fan in the room, no ice, and he didn’t have the energy to make it to the lounge area.  
  
    He lay face down on the floor, at least wishing for an outside breeze.  
  
    “Jesus Reyes,” Jack said when he came in. “Are you baking in here or something? What’s-”  
  
    He forced himself to look up to meet Jack’s gaze, almost confused by how red his face was. In fact that blush was crawling down to his neck. His grip on his bag went slack and it hit the floor with a thump.  
  
    “Hot,” Gabriel muttered.  
  
    “Oh, you okay? Need some more water?”  
  
    “Leave me out in a blizzard.”  
  
    Jack laughed, “None of those around I’m afraid. Come on, off the floor.”  
  
    “Sofa’s too hot. Bed’s too hot.”  
  
    “You can’t lie down there.” Jack grabbed his arm. Cold, cool, refreshing, like landing in a pool in the middle of July. Gabriel knew it was probably out of bounds but he shot up and clung to Jack anyway. One hand on his neck he pressed their foreheads together, feeling that cold sensation rush over his skin. He thought about jumping off the diving board, having splash wars with his mother and how it felt the first time he learned to float on his back.  
  
    “Um, Reyes?”  
  
    He let his eyes flitter open, somehow surprised by how close Jack was. Once again he was reminded that this probably wasn’t okay but for a moment he couldn’t move. He’d never get over how blue Jack’s eyes were.  
  
    Finally, he snapped out of it.  
  
    “Sorry,” He let go. “But it’s like feeling that first blast of air conditioning after being stuck outside for two hours.”  
  
    “Trust me, I can relate.” Jack rubbed his shoulder. “Side effects?”  
  
    “I’m guessing so. I was making my damn water start to boil earlier, just by holding it.”  
  
    “Fine, I’ll go sneak some ice packs real quick. Put some pants on will you?”  
  
    “Aw, what’s wrong Morrison, don’t like what you see?”  
  
    That blush was returning but Jack’s face got surprisingly serious. “Well, you might want to put a shirt back on too. Unless you don’t mind anyone else seeing those.”  
  
    Suddenly the heat fled Gabriel’s system as his blood went cold. He glanced down at the still visible scars on his chest.  
  
    Shit.  
  
    “Going to get ice packs.” Jack said.  
  
    Gabriel’s hand shot out, snatching his friend’s wrist. “Wait. You’re not... You’re not going to tell anyone are you?”  
  
    Jack frowned. “Of course not. It’s none of my business and it’s not like it changes anything.” He offered a small smile. “I have the taste of that sparring mat memorized because of you.”  
  
    Relief washed over him and he let go. “You got that right. You really need to work on being so predictable.”  
  
    “I’ll be right back.” Jack said and headed to the door. “I like your hair, by the way.”  
  
    Gabriel ran a hand through the curls, feeling how damp they were. He’d have to show it to Jack again sometime when he wasn’t almost drenched from head to toe. Hell, maybe he should take a cold shower while he waited. It’d certainly help wouldn’t it.  
  
    He headed for the bathroom but nope, too hot. Once again he found himself lying on the floor and groaning.  
  
    Jack was a blessing when he came back, cooling down Gabriel enough to get him to the shower. Freezing water normally bothered him but now it felt like a god send. Jack had some clothes ready for him, and leaving one of the cold packs pressed between them kept Gabriel from sweating through them in the first five minutes.  
  
    “Here, let me hold your water.” Jack said. “Keep it cool.”  
  
    “Fine,” Gabriel wasn’t paying much attention to the holocaster as he buried his forehead against Jack’s shoulder. He never thought he’d enjoy the cold this much. Even before this phoenix he’d always been one for summer sun.  
  
    Jack didn’t say much, occasionally handing Gabriel his water or getting up to grab more. Any time a specific spot got too warm Gabriel would change position, burying his face against Jack’s stomach, his neck, and even his leg.  
  
    “What are you doing?” Jack was almost laughing as Gabriel leaned so far down on the sofa half his body was on the floor. He’d tugged Jack’s leg over so his friend’s calf rested on his forehead.  
  
    “Cold spot,” Gabriel muttered.  
  
    “Alright.”  
  
    It became even more routine after that. In fact they often wound up sharing a bed, although making Jack sleep at night was sometimes an entirely new chore. That wolf of his gave him insomnia, and nothing terrified Gabriel more than waking up and seeing Jack’s eyes glowing in the dark.  
  
    Gabriel would hang onto their coffee to keep it warm. Jack held onto their water bottles during training. When Jack pulled a muscle in his shoulder Gabriel kept a hand on it. When Gabriel bruised up his knee during a training run Jack returned the favor. Sometimes it was so sub-conscious they had to keep each other in check when other people were around.  
  
    Sometimes Gabriel let himself foolishly think that he could hang onto Jack forever.  
  
     _“You should tell him that.”_ Marigold would taunt back.  
  
    Like hell he would. There was no room for that in a place like this. There wasn’t even a guarantee they’d meet each other again when the program was up.  
  
    That thought always tore his heart to pieces. He tried not to think about it but sometimes it was so hard not to. Strangely enough, it didn’t go unnoticed.  
  
    “You okay?” Jack suddenly sat up, forehead creased with worry.  
  
    “Of course, why?”  
  
    “You uh... you suddenly got... cold.”  
  
    What? Was that even possible for him? He glanced at his skin like he expected to find something but of course not.  
  
    “It was weird it’s like... your flame just burnt out. You sure you’re okay? You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”  
  
    “Just...” Gabriel rubbed his neck. “Just sometimes think about how when this program is up we could never see each other again.”  
  
    “Oh,” Jack fell back against the couch, eyes staring straight forward. “Yeah, guess that’s true. But hey, hopefully by then you can make it by without constantly needing an ice pop, yeah?”  
  
    Jack’s laughter sounded hollow and it left Gabriel feeling nauseous.  
  
    “What?”  
  
    “I mean, you know, you're always hanging onto me cause of all these weird chemicals in our systems. At least by then it’ll balance out and thing will go back to normal.”  
  
    “What... what the _fuck_ , Jack.”  
  
    That startled him, making his laughter cut off as he glanced over.  
  
    “That has to be some kind of sick joke. You really think I hang around you this much just because you’re some kind of personal air conditioner?”  
  
    “I mean,” Jack crossed his arms and curled up. “You never really did before.”  
  
    Shit, hell, Gabriel growled and put his palms over his eyes, angry because he knew Jack was right. They didn’t start talking until this mutual temperature control took off. Gabriel had never seen their relationship that way, but he’d never given Jack a reason to think otherwise.  
  
    Jesus christ he was an asshole.  
  
    “Damn Jack, no. I don’t hang around you because you’re a walking freezer. If I wanted that I’d just lock myself inside the one in the kitchen. Less noisy.”  
  
    Jack snorted. “Sorry I like to talk.”  
  
    Hell, that came out wrong. “I know you do and I like it too damn it.” He sat up and turned to face him. “I don’t... I don’t talk to anyone else here Jack. I don’t trust them. I keep up my front because I’m scared if they start learning who I am I’ll lose all their respect.”  
  
    “What are you talking about Gabriel? You’re the best out of all of us.”  
  
    “Yeah and how do you think most of them will react finding out that I’m trans. I mean, hell, I even have all these cool fire powers but the worst thing they could do is make you sweat.”  
  
    “At least you’ve figured out what they can do. What have I done outside of tiny ice sculptures and night vision?”  
  
    “Ugh, we’re getting off topic.” Gabriel ran a hand down his face. “Look, Jack, my point is I’m not going to miss you because of your cold skin. I’m going to miss you because you’re my damn friend, and I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise.”  
  
    Jack’s expression softened before he sighed. “No, I’m sorry for just assuming you didn’t care.”  
  
    “Well it’s not like I was being clear.”  
  
    He actually smiled this time, letting himself slide over, resting his head on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Yeah, you can be kind of an asshole.”  
  
    “Jackass.”  
  
    He felt Jack’s laughter against his neck, not thinking when he pressed his cheek against his hair. He didn’t want to lose this. He wasn’t sure he’d feel this safe around anyone else.  
  
     _“You should tell him that.”_ Marigold hummed.  
  
    Gabriel wasn’t sure he had the confidence for that. Still, “Hey Jack?”  
  
    “Yeah?”  
  
    “Promise me something?”  
  
    “What?”  
  
    “If we do get separated, promise me we’ll find each other again.”  
  
    “Promise.” Jack curled up even closer.  
  
    There were no chills, no waves of heat. Gabriel focused on the sensations, picturing the gentle warmth of the California sun while an ocean breeze rushed over his skin. He tried not to think on it too hard, how perfect it all was. Fire and ice, hot and cold, it had to be some kind of coincidence that they found each other. There were plenty of other spirits with these kinds of abilities after all. Gabriel couldn’t bring himself to believe in something like fate.  
  
    Just chance that they were both chosen for this. Just chance they wound up in the same room.  
  
    Just chance, right?  
  
    Well then, maybe that same chance would keep them together. For the first time in years, Gabriel decided to be hopeful.  
  
    Maybe Jack was getting to him.


	2. Days and Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just little snippits featuring sleep cuddles, first real kiss, teef, and Jack messing with Gabriel's head

    “Jack,” Gabriel’s voice was muffled by his pillow.  
  
    The young soldier looked up from the news on his tablet, over at his roommate’s bed. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”  
  
    “Will you damn go to bed already? You want to pass out in the mess hall again?”  
  
    Jack looked around the pitch black room. “Eh, what time is it?”  
  
    “Three in the morning.”  
  
    “Fuck,” He muttered and decided to at least shut off the tablet. Even with the glowing light gone he didn’t feel the least bit tired. “Sorry Gabe, I’m just... I’m still not even tired.”  
  
    “You will be tomorrow. At least lay under the covers.”   
  
    Jack tried that before, but it never worked. He always felt restless, like he needed to be up doing something.  
  
    This had to be the worst god damn side effect to getting this spirit.   
  
    The wolf had been a gift from his Uncle, something to protect him during his service in the army. Sadly the military didn’t teach you how to effectively use them. All he had was insomnia, night vision, and a sense of smell that made Gabe’s hot sauce unbearable.   
  
    Knowing he wasn’t alone was a small comfort. Finding out Gabriel received one from his mother made him feel less out of place. At least they could talk about it in here.   
  
    The rustling of sheets distracted him. It was strange, being able to see in the dark, like everything was a low quality black and white film. Just enough light to give it details but not enough to add color. Gabriel had tossed the sheets on his bed back, slapping down on the mattress.  
  
    “Come on,” he muttered.  
  
    “Huh?”  
  
    “Get in here, I’m going to make you sleep.”  
  
    Jack snorted but stood up anyway. “How do you plan to do that? Gonna try singing? You know how that ends up.”  
  
    “Shut the hell up and try it. I’m tired.”   
  
    He decided to take the excuse for some contact, even if he knew it’d just make everything worse. He could hear Whitefang’s wheezy laugh in the back of his mind.  
  
    When he climbed in he faced away from Gabriel, only for his roommate to grab his shoulder and roll him over.  
  
    “Damn,” He hissed and let go. “God damn Jackie why are you so freaking cold?”   
  
    “I’m not, you’re just an easy bake oven who’s been curled up under the blankets.”  
  
    “No, I’m pretty sure that wolf of yours keeps your body temperature low enough to survive arctic seas.”   
  
    Jack touched his own cheek but not even his finger tips were chilled. “You just hate anything under ninety-six degrees.”   
  
    Gabriel huffed, taking Jack’s hand and pressing their palms together. The heat surprised him for a moment, like gripping the bottom of an overworked computer. When the shock faded, however, he could feel the warmth crawling through his fingers up the length of his arm.   
  
    “See the difference?”   
  
    Jack knew he had a smart remark to that, but it died on his tongue. All he could think about was Gabriel’s rough fingers moving to the side ever so slightly. It wouldn’t take much for Jack to tangle their fingers together, pull him closer.  
  
    Holy shit, stop being stupid.   
  
    “I think you’re more tired than you’re letting on.” Gabriel said before he yawned. “Come on, sleep time.”   
  
    The loss of contact made Jack wonder for a minute if he really was that cold. Then suddenly it returned. One hand slid up his back and the other behind his neck. That same heat bloomed over his skin. Embarrassment told him to run, but the sensation anchored him in place. His thoughts were suddenly clouded with memories. Those late afternoons spent in the field, pulling up weeds. Wiping sweat out of his hair as he stared out at the setting sun. It shifted over to the hot concrete underneath his palms as he took a break on his run. His dog, Knievel, kept trying to climb on top of him.   
  
    Jack didn’t realize he was dozing until he felt Gabriel shift. His roommate already seemed to have passed out, mouth open slightly, making his slow breaths audible.   
  
    Between the sound and the warmth ebbing away at the tension in his muscles, his eyes drifted shut again. Those past memories were suddenly replaced by a more recent one. Gabriel and him leaning against each other as they walked back inside after training that day. The side effects from the injections were still taking their toll on their systems and their muscles felt like iron by that point.   
  
    Warm  
  
    It was so warm.  
  
\------------------------  
  
    “Jack!”   
  
    Gabriel ignored the commands from his superiors shouting in his ear. He knew he’d get an earful for it later but right now he didn’t give a damn. Jack, he had to find Jack. His friend’s communication had suddenly cut off and no one had heard from him since.  
  
    In the middle of a battle like this, what terrible timing.   
  
   _Marigold can I revive the dead?_  
  
 _“No Master Reyes.”_  
  
    That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. What the hell, she could bring him back from the dead right? Why not anyone else?   
  
    Jack, where was Jack?   
  
    He scanned the area for any sign of that garish blue. A ridiculous color to wear on the field but in a sense most omnics were color blind.   
  
    A cold sensation gripped at his chest, colder than any of those times Jack’s fingers had brushed against his skin. He’d always been in the habit of complaining about it but he loved it. God he loved it. It wasn’t the kind of bitter cold he always made it out to be. It reminded him more of those early mornings out in the desert with the wind stirring up sand. Or the splash of sea water as the waves crashed down in front of you.   
  
    He loved that sensation.  
  
    He loved Jack.  
  
    God damn, why didn’t he just tell him that?   
  
     _“Did I not tell you?”_ Marigold snorted.  
  
     _I don’t need your sass right now._   
  
    Her response was cut off when he saw it. Blue. The bright color shown out from the lines of broken concrete. He lay face up in the ruins of a wall, two ruined omnics sitting across from him.  
  
    “Jack?” Gabriel shouted as he ran over. He tossed the rubble to the side, scanning over the damage. The wound on his side was the only obvious one and he wasted no time lighting up his palm to heal the injury. He put his other hand on Jack’s cheek, relieved to feel him breathing.   
  
    “Jack? Come on, wake up. Jackie, please.”  
  
    His friend let out a weak cough, cringing as he tried to open his eyes. That shade of blue that almost matched his uniform, somehow brighter. God he loved those eyes, loved seeing them shift in the dark, glowing in the reflecting light.   
  
    “Jack,” He didn’t mean to sound so desperate as he pressed their foreheads together.   
  
    “Gabe?” Jack finally answered. “You’re okay?”  
  
    “The hell?” He straightened up. “Am I okay? You dropped off the line thirty minutes ago. What happened?”  
  
    “Was trying to get to you.” Jack struggled to sit up. “You were in trouble right?”  
  
    Gabriel had been in trouble. He’d found himself locked into a corner, barely making it out by the time Jack’s line went dead, but he never reported his situation. How the hell did Jack know?   
  
    “Wolf said you were,” Jack looked down at Gabriel’s hand that still rested against his side. He shifted and cringed. “I wasn’t... I don’t know how he knew but I just... ugh I’m sorry. I went off and did something stupid again.”  
  
    “I’ll say. You’re lucky you aren’t dead.” Gabriel sighed. “I almost thought you were.”   
  
    “I thought you were too.”   
  
    The flames on Gabriel’s hands died out as their gazes met. He could hear his superiors again. He could hear Ana demanding to know where they were. But bit by bit it all faded out. All he could focus on was Jack’s eyes, the feeling of cold fingers brushing over his hand.   
  
    “Gabe?”  
  
    “Yeah?”  
  
    “I uh... I’m sorry about this.”  
  
    “What?”  
  
    Suddenly Jack gripped the straps on his armor and pulled him forward so fast Gabriel almost landed on top of him. Their lips met hard, pinching against his teeth but the pain was quickly forgotten. Those cold sensations sent chills over his skin and he loved it.  
  
    God he loved it.   
  
    Jack pulled away too quick. “Sorry, sorry I just.” His whole face was red, his ears, even his neck. “For a second I thought I’d never see you again and-”  
  
    Exactly. That same thought raced through Gabriel’s head as he pulled Jack back, much gentler this time. He moved his lips, letting Jack gasp for air every now and then. The idiot was still injured after all.   
  
    “Don’t ever do that to me again.” He kissed the corner of his mouth. “Don’t ever.” His cheek. “I’ve got this phoenix remember? She can’t revive you.”   
  
    “Sorry,” Jack pressed their foreheads together. “I just... I don’t want to lose you Gabe.”   
  
    “I don’t want to lose you either _mi luna_.”   
  
     _“Hey!”_ Ana’s voice finally cut through. _“I can see you two. Knock it off until we get back before someone else catches you.”_   
  
    Shit, right, they were right in the middle of the street. Gabriel scrambled back up, lending Jack a hand. The soldier’s wound seemed repaired enough that he could move, but his face still scrunched up with pain.  
  
    “Anything broken?” Gabriel said.  
  
    “I don’t think so? But you know me.”  
  
    He rolled his eyes, recalling when his friend–boyfriend?–went through an entire mission with a dislocated shoulder. “We better get you back quick then.”   
  
    “Um...”  
  
    He glanced back over at Jack as he pulled his arm over his shoulders for support. “What?”  
  
    “Nothing, I just wanted to do that for a really long time.”  
  
    Gabriel smiled as they headed down the street. “Yeah, same here.”  
  
    “So why didn’t you?”  
  
    He thought about it for a moment. All of those past excuses seemed to fall apart in his hands, even the ones about “being professional”.  
  
    “I don’t know, Jackie. I don’t know.”   
  
\-----------------  
  
    Jack had been acting weird the past couple of weeks. Gabriel wasn’t oblivious to it. His boyfriend rarely walked around with his head so low, hand constantly hovering over his mouth like he was thinking really hard about something. Every time he did manage to get a chuckle out of him that hand would fly up and block the view of his smile.  
  
    Something was wrong, and usually Jack was very open to talking about it when they were alone, but lately he seemed to be avoiding that.   
  
    So Gabriel decided to create some time himself, knocking on Jack’s door. He was relieved when the man actually opened it, his lips pressed shut.   
  
    “Yeah? What’s up?” His voice was so quiet, lips barely moving as he spoke.  
  
    “You’re acting weird, and don’t tell me you aren’t.” Gabriel pointed at him. “Can I come in so you can actually talk about it? Or would you rather not.”  
  
    Jack let out a long sigh, glancing down the hall before nodding.  
  
    Gabriel shut the door when he entered, leaning his back against it. He figured it be better to let Jack have his space at the moment. The soldier had his hand over his mouth again, damn it.  
  
    “So uh,” His speech was so muffled. “Look, you remember our mission two weeks ago right?”  
  
    Well of course, it wasn’t that long ago. An undercover operation between him and Jack to dig out a man who’d been suspected of selling tech to the omnics. As if their armies needed to be any stronger. Humanity was struggling enough as it was, and if they didn’t find a way to shut down all those god programs soon they’d lose this fight eventually.  
  
    The job had gone fine. Jack was a surprisingly convincing actor when he needed to be, with Gabriel hovering around as his “bodyguard”. Getting inside was easy. Getting out? Not so much.  
  
    After all, killing the man hadn’t been in the plans but it had to happen when he drew out a weapon. Unfortunately, they weren’t alone. None of the man’s employees were happy with their loss of revenue, coming after them armed to the teeth. Their super soldier abilities granted them the upper hand, but being trapped in an unfamiliar building was a disadvantage.   
  
    One man caught them off guard. Gabriel took a bullet to the chest, which might have killed him if it hadn’t been for Marigold. As he tried to recover he saw Jack charge at him, just charge at him as the man tried to pull out a loaded pistol.   
  
    Gabriel had never seen Jack like that. His growling didn’t sound human and those blue eyes had turned yellow.   
  
    And his teeth.   
  
    Well, Gabriel tried to pretend he forgot the whole situation but there was no way he could. You didn’t really forget the image of ice claws tearing into a man’s chest, down his arms. You certainly didn’t forget the moment your partner crushed a man’s throat in his jaws.  
  
    There was too much blood to forget that.   
  
    He didn’t know how much Jack remembered. When the soldier snapped out of it he seemed terrified, might have stayed that way if Gabriel hadn’t shouted at him to focus. They could worry about that mess later when they were somewhere safe.   
  
    “Look,” Gabriel said. “I wasn’t going to bring it up if you weren’t.”  
  
    “We can’t just ignore it,” Jack sighed. “I don’t... I still don’t know why I did that but I wish I hadn’t.”  
  
    “I mean, it was sort of cool.”  
  
    “Gabe.”  
  
    “What?” He shrugged. “You were trying to protect me. Wolf instincts or something like that.”  
  
    “Ugh,” Jack tugged down the skin below his eyes. “How come you didn’t end up with any bird instincts?”  
  
    “She’s technically not a bird.” Gabriel smiled. “Look, I get that this bothers you-”  
  
    “No,” He shook his head, hand still over his mouth. “No, it’s not that exactly. I’d have rather done that than let him shoot you again but... well, ever since it happened these keep showing up.”   
  
    He finally moved his hand away, curling his upper lip.  
  
    It was almost surreal, seeing them this clearly. Gabriel stepped forward, slowly, in case Jack wanted to move back. When he didn’t Gabriel put a hand on Jack’s cheek, letting his thumb run under his lips to get a better look. The canines had to be at least an inch long. The rest of them certainly seemed more pointed. Opening Jack’s mouth he could see it even effected his molars.   
  
    “Holy shit Jackie.” He moved his hand away. “No wonder you tore into that guy so easily.”  
  
    “Ugh, don’t remind me.” His disgusted expression seemed almost dangerous with those teeth. “Worst part is I haven’t figured out how to make them go away on command. I don’t want people to notice.”  
  
    That explained his behavior at least. “Pff, hey maybe you should get a muzzle then.”   
  
    Jack glared at him.  
  
    “Kidding, kidding, honestly if these spirits weren’t such a secret I’d say you should flaunt them. It’s not a bad look for you.”   
  
    He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, maybe if you appreciate werewolf jokes.”  
  
    “Aw, you don’t like those?”  
  
    “No Gabe.”   
  
    Gabriel chuckled for a bit before he gently took hold of Jack’s face. “Seriously, they don’t look bad or anything. At least quit hiding them when we’re alone yeah? Or show Ana, I bet she’d like them.”  
  
    “Knowing her creepy vision she probably already saw them.”   
  
    “Well if she has she’s not worried about it. So you shouldn’t be either.” He kissed Jack on the nose. “You’ll figure it out.”  
  
    “Thanks Gabe.”   
  
    “Of course, _mi luna_.”   
  
\---------------  
  
    Two more weeks had Jack sitting next to Gabriel in the break room. No one was there at this hour, just Gabriel sucking down some afternoon coffee. Late night missions were sometimes absolute hell.   
  
    “Guess what?” Jack was smiling this time, face unguarded.   
  
    “What?” He tried to will the coffee fumes to finish waking him up.   
  
    “I finally got the hang of these.” Jack smiled when he opened his mouth. Gabriel almost dropped his cup as he watched his teeth shift, canines growing out. He blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing things properly.  
  
    “Holy shit,” Gabriel said. “Doesn’t that hurt?”  
  
    “Well, kind of,” Jack left his mouth open, running his tongue over the sharp edges. “Feels like when your braces get tightened a whole lot.”  
  
    He snorted, “I never had braces.”  
  
    “What, really?” His voice sounded weird with his tongue in that position.  
  
    “Yeah. Why, did you?”  
  
    “Oh fuck off.”  
  
    “Do you have pictures?”  
  
    “Shut-up, Gabe. Even if I did I wouldn’t show you.”  
  
    “Aw come on, I bet you were cute.” He poked at Jack’s ribs. “What age? Freshman year? Were your cheeks chubby too?”  
  
    Jack giggled and slapped his hand away. “Not that chubby.”   
  
    “I need pics.”  
  
    “Asshole.”  
  
    “Jackass.”  
  
    They were both laughing now, Gabriel barely holding onto his cup. Then he paused and froze, staring at Jack’s open mouth grin. His eyes were squeezed shut but all Gabriel could stare at were his teeth. He’d said they made Jack look good before, but when he smiled like that, holy shit. He started wondering what it would be like to kiss him right now, to feel the shape of them against his lips and under his tongue.   
  
    Jack stopped laughing and must have noticed his stare because suddenly he was smirking. The bastard. Gabriel tried to glare back but he couldn’t stop looking at the way the teeth slid together, the canine’s flashing out from under his lips.  
  
    “Wow, I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing, Gabe.”  
  
    He snorted and finally pulled out of his trance, trying to cover up his embarrassment with a long sip of coffee. He could still feel Jack staring, pausing his sips to mutter, “Bite me, Jack.”  
  
    Looking back, he probably could have chosen his words more carefully.  
  
    Jack tilted his head, smile growing even wider. That damn quirk of his eyebrows. “I’m starting to think you actually want me to.”  
  
    Gabriel choked and actually spat out some of his coffee before desperately trying to swallow the rest of it. What? What did he just say? He used his coughing as a moment to try and process what Jack had just said.   
  
    “No,” He sputtered out. “Hell no Jack, look at those things. If you did that I’d be bleeding for hours.”   
  
    Jack pressed his lips together for a moment before grinning again. He seemed quite happy to show them off now. “Maybe, but then again between SEP and your phoenix you’ve got a pretty great healing rate.”   
  
    Gabriel froze. His cup still hovered close to his mouth as he stared at Jack. His gaze kept flashing between his eyes and those damn teeth.   
  
    “Later,” He mumbled into the rim of his cup. “And make sure to bring some first aid just in case.”   
  
    “You are into it.” Jack leaned closer.  
  
    “Shut the hell up. I don’t know that yet.”  
  
    “But you’re willing to try.”  
  
    “Only because you keep looking at me like that.”   
  
    “Like what?” Even closer, those blue eyes were almost dangerous as he grinned even wider.  
  
    “Jack,” Gabriel warned. If his body got any warmer his coffee was going to start boiling.   
  
    “Fine, later,” His boyfriend agreed but kept leaning forward. Gabriel didn’t move, almost couldn’t. He felt Jack’s breath against his skin. He felt the tips of those fangs brush over his neck.   
  
    Then Jack simply gave him a quick kiss before he stood up and walked off, chuckling to himself.   
  
    Gabriel practically dropped his coffee on the table before he headed to the freezer. Forget the coffee, dunking his head in a bucket of ice water would wake him up just as well.   
  
\-----------------  
  
     _Try it._ Whitefang would keep insisting in his dreams every night. He’d stare at the open door in the back of the old barn. It would figure his mindscape would look similar to his home. The old barn was a bit worn but full of memories, surrounded by a wooden fence. Grassy fields stretched on forever in one direction while mountains rose up behind the building. Snow caps covered them, the clouds always swirling around in spirals.   
  
     _Try it._ The wolf whispered every time he outlined the door into the wall, opening it into nothing but empty black space. You’re both dreaming, you could make the jump.   
  
    Would Gabriel even want him to?  
  
    But one night it was so quiet. He leapt through, expecting some kind of resistance but there was none. One moment it was all black, and then suddenly the world lit up. Lights from windows, reflecting on the surface of a still pond like stars. Jack stared in awe for a moment, glancing up to see the sky scrapers floating above his head. His boots scrapped on the grass of the hill as he turned to look at the scorched tree above him.  
  
    “Well hello there.”   
  
    He snapped his gaze over to see the phoenix landing on the tree, her yellow colors glowing against the dark background.   
  
    “Ah, sorry for intruding I-”   
  
    “You are not. I wondered when you would come.”   
  
    “Is uh, is Gabe here?”   
  
    “He’s dreaming, one moment.” She took off again, her light leaving a streak behind her as she flew out over the water. She hovered down, letting her wings trail against the surface of it. The ripples flowed out from the contact, making the lights glitter.   
  
    Then suddenly she dove in. Jack felt afraid for a moment, remind himself that none of this was real. Of course the water wouldn’t hurt her.   
  
    He stared out at the water for a while, wondering how Gabriel navigated this place. Could he just walk on the surface? Jack considered trying it.  
  
    Just then the phoenix burst out of the water, gripping Gabriel’s arms in her talons. Even with the splash of the water none of it seemed to cling to him when he collapsed on the grass.  
  
    “What the hell, Marigold?” He shouted as he pushed himself up.  
  
    “Marigold?”  
  
    Gabriel spun around, eyes wide. “Jackie? What the shit- fuck, shit! You didn’t hear that okay?”  
  
    “Nope, didn’t hear it.” He folded his arms behind his back. He already knew the policy on names. He’d ask Whitefang if there was any way to delete the fact that he knew it now.  
  
    Marigold, it suited her though.   
  
    “Why didn’t you just tell me he was here?” Gabriel shouted.  
  
    The bird’s feathers were puffed out as she relaxed in the tree. “It’s amusing.”  
  
    “The hell it is. You’re the one who was so intense on that name policy.”   
  
    “I find it hard to believe that Young Morrison would abuse this knowledge.” She turned to look at him. “Right?”  
  
    “Of course not, ma’am.” He almost found himself saluting.   
  
    “Ugh, nevermind.” Gabriel stepped closer to him. “How the hell did you get in here?”  
  
    “I... don’t really know.” He sighed. “Whitefang kept opening this door and telling me to jump in.”  
  
    “Shit, can they really... Whitefang?”  
  
    Jack shrugged. “If I know what you named yours it’s only fair right?”  
  
    Gabriel blinked and shook his head. “Yeah I can get that but Whitefang? Are you serious, Jackie?” He snickered and started laughing.   
  
    “Yeah, yeah, get it out of your system.” Jack sighed.   
  
    “Why the hell did you name him that. It wasn’t after that book was it?”  
  
    “No.”  
  
    “Then why?”  
  
    “I’m not telling.”  
  
    Gabriel let his laughter die down instead of retorting to that.  
  
    Jack distracted himself from his irritation by looking at the scenery. “It’s really beautiful in here, Gabe.”  
  
    “Think so? Always reminds me of home. What’s yours like?”  
  
    “Like home, see if she’ll teach you how to come visit it sometime.”  
  
    “Can’t wait to get lost in a corn field.”  
  
    Jack rolled his eyes, but recognized it as a joke this time. He let himself wander closer to the water. By now the ripples had settled and it had gone back to its glassy surface.  
  
    “It’s like you could walk over it.” Jack hummed and let his fingers hover over the surface, a bit afraid to disturb it. “Can you?”  
  
    “Haven’t tried really. There’s this boat that takes me around everywhere that I can make appear. Looks like the one I used to hide in when I was younger, out by the beach. The man who owned it never kicked me out. One day he started giving me work to do, paid me for it.”  
  
    “How old were you?”  
  
    “Twelve.”   
  
    Jack pondered it, wondered what the boat looked like. He let his fingertips touched the water, it almost felt warm.   
  
    Then suddenly ice bloomed on the surface where he touched it, curling out with jagged edges.   
  
    “Whoa,” He pulled his hand back. “Is that uh, normal?”  
  
    “No, must be your sub-arctic body temperature. That’s certainly what it feels like when you put your foot on my leg.”  
  
    “Oh, fuck off.” Jack didn’t bother to glare as he kept staring at the pattern. He stepped closer to the water, slowly letting his foot hover over the surface.  
  
    The ice grew faster this time. The surprise made him stumble forward but it held fast. The rest of the water didn’t even seem to move from the impact.  
  
    “Whoa,” Jack grinned, taking a few more steps forward. The ice followed his movements, curling out and around him. “I guess you can walk on it.”   
  
    He looked back expecting to see Gabriel rolling his eyes but the man was just staring at him.   
  
    Jack let his foot slide over the surface of the ice. He pushed off from it, skating forward and smiling when it actually worked. He kept the motion up, spinning himself around to look at the trail he left behind.   
  
    “Hey Gabe, think I can draw a heart?” He shouted before starting to head back toward the island.   
  
    “The fuck are you doing Jackie?”  
  
    “It’s called ice skating.” He skidded to a stop. “Tell me you’ve heard of it.” Then he paused, remembering where Gabriel was from. “Oh, you’ve never done it before have you? I used to all the time when I was younger. Just a few miles away there was this huge pond. Dad used to take me out there to skate in the winter.”  
  
    “Isn’t that dangerous?” Gabriel stepped closer to the water, looking unsure of what was under it. “Like, can’t you fall in?”  
  
    “Yeah, but he checked how thick it was, and brought emergency equipment. I never actually fell in though, even if it cracked a few times.”  
  
    Gabriel shivered and stepped back. “No thanks.”  
  
    “Oh, come on.”  
  
    “No.”  
  
    “It’s not like you can drown in here, Gabe.”  
  
    “No.”   
  
    Jack reached out and grabbed his arm. “Please?”  
  
    Gabriel gave him that look, that pouty look that said he was losing this mental battle against Jack’s begging blue eyes. He sighed, his shoulders dropping as he allowed himself to be dragged towards the water.  
  
    “Look, I don’t have fancy ice powers. If I fall in this water I swear-”  
  
    “Just try it.”   
  
    He glared, but let himself step out onto the water. It certainly didn’t turn to ice under his feet but he didn’t fall through as he stepped closer.  
  
    “Okay,” He muttered. “This is fucking with me just a little bit.”  
  
    Jack laughed and slowly started to skate backwards. Gabriel stumbled at first, trying to keep up with the motion. Jack held on tight to his hands, holding him up right.  
  
    “Man, and you make fun of me for not being able to dance.” Jack grinned, flashing his fangs as he spun them both around.  
  
    “Dancing’s easier.”  
  
    “Is not. Come on, you’re not even wearing actual skates. Then maybe it’d be hard.”  
  
    “Fuck you, Jack.”   
  
    He kept smiling and loosened his grip, letting Gabriel find his own rhythm. His boyfriend stumbled again, clearly frustrated with figuring out how to move like that.  
  
    “Didn’t you go roller skating before? Or even run around a waxed wooden floor with socks on?”   
  
    “Just give me a minute.”  
  
    Jack decided to let go, holding up his hands as he slid back. He let himself spin around, watching the ice sprout from the contact. He grinned at the patterns, shooting forward again and letting himself circle around Gabriel.  
  
    “Quit being a show off.” His boyfriend muttered.  
  
    “You just can’t stand that I know how to do something you can’t.”   
  
    “As if knowing how to skate is useful.”   
  
    “Jealous.”   
  
    Gabriel glared at him, growing smaller as Jack drifted away.   
  
    “Think of it like running, except your feet never leave the ground.”  
  
    He glanced down before looking back up. Suddenly he took off, fast. He only stumbled twice as he picked up speed, heading straight for Jack.  
  
    He shouted, almost afraid before it turned into laughter and he took off in the other direction. He could hear Gabriel gaining on him but didn’t bother to go any faster.   
  
    “Got you,” His boyfriend shouted as he crashed into him. Instead of toppling over the pair of them spun around. Jack laughed even harder, glancing up to see the lights on the buildings flashing along with the sound.   
  
    “See? Knew you could figure it out.”   
  
    Gabriel straightened up, keeping a grip on his arms. “Yeah, yeah, maybe sometime you can teach me for real.”   
  
    “Only if I can video tape it.”  
  
    “Jackass.”  
  
    “Asshole.”   
  
    Gabriel smiled before he leaned forward and kissed him.   
  
    Jack spun them both around again, not missing the growing light on the horizon. Then another one appeared, Marigold, flying in circles around them before twirling up. The water followed her in a spiral before raining back down, landing on their heads.   
  
    “Too bad we have to wake up,” Gabriel said.   
  
    “And I’ll still be there,” He whispered before pulling him into another kiss.   
  
\--------------------  
  
    Marigold landed on the desk, partially she supposed. She couldn’t really touch anything out here without being summoned. Her master and his mate were still sound asleep, faint smiles lining their faces.   
  
    She felt herself smile as well.  
  
    “Good to see you, Hypatia.” The wolf on the floor nodded in her direction.  
  
    “You as well, Wynnter.”   
  
    “I’m glad he finally listened to me.” He slumped over on his side and stretched. “That pup is surprisingly shy. How did it go?”  
  
    “They’re ice skating.”  
  
    “Really?” He rolled back up, tail wagging. “Oh yes, good, ah, Jack used to love that.”   
  
    She hopped down to sit next to him. “He learned my name.”   
  
    “Oh, did your pup slip up?”  
  
    Marigold laughed. “It was mostly my fault.”   
  
    “Ah well, I trust they will not abuse that power.” Whitefang yawned and rested his head down, yellow eyes still fixed on the bed. “But I do worry, at times.”  
  
    “What do you mean?”  
  
    “This future is uncertain. The crisis may have ended but I feel there is more to come.”   
  
    She sighed, scooting closer to him. “You’ve always had a better sense for these things.”   
  
    “For those things perhaps. How about more important things. Has your pup said anything about proposals?”  
  
    That lifted her mood, her laughter sending sparks into the air. “No, oh no, but he’s spoke of children.”  
  
    “Really?” Whitefang wagged his tail again. “Oh do tell.”  
  
    “Adoption, he says. ‘Marigold one day me and Jackie will get out of here. Maybe he’ll drag me back to a stupid corn farm but kids would like it there right?’”   
  
    “Our pups would be good parents.” Whitefang’s smile took the form of flashing snowflakes.   
  
    “Indeed,” Marigold hopped up onto his back, settling down once more between his shoulders. She could feel Gabriel’s joy from here, a lightness in his chest that hadn’t been there for ages. Not since he first told Jack how he felt.   
  
    “Tired, my shining sun?”   
  
    “Aren’t you, _mi luna_?”   
  
    “This is the hour I’m most awake, but you should rest.”   
  
    She sighed, trying to get herself to settle but she couldn’t manage it. She tried to focus on the light sensation again but it only made her fear worse.  
  
    “Do you sometimes worry our protection won’t be enough?” She muttered.   
  
    “Of course my shining sun.”  
  
     _Of course._


	3. Somewhere Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel decides to see what's going on in Jack's head and ends up with a lot more than he expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sort of a sequel to the last one. I'm still p proud of this bit.

    It took almost a month for Gabriel to figure out how to do that dream jump. It was partially because of how hectic things were, the UN moving them around for PR business. Gabriel swore if he had to get on another plane anytime soon he was going to puke. The other part was just the fact that Marigold was a little shit and kept trying to make him beg for it.   
  
    “You’re the ones who wanted us to do this. Just show me how. _Dios mio_ , Marí.”   
  
    “Fine,” He could hear the smirk in her voice. “I suppose I’ve teased you long enough."   
  
    She flew out onto the water, trailing her wing in circles on its surface. The ripples spun around, faster and faster as the glass morphed into a whirlpool. Gabriel felt dizzy looking at it.  
  
    “You aren’t telling me I have to jump in there.”   
  
    “It is not like you can drown.” She hovered over it.   
  
    “That’s not reassuring.”   
  
    “Honestly, I know you are not afraid of water.”  
  
    “No, but I have been trapped under a wave before. It’s not pleasant.”   
  
    “Just jump.” Her calm voice muted out the rushing water. “You will be fine.”   
  
    Sometimes he hated it, how it seemed like the hill should slowly descend into the water but instead it just vanished. He could sometimes tell when he stared at it that it was endlessly deep. Some days he considered swimming in it but was simply to afraid of what he’d find.   
  
    A few times he swore he could see a pair of eyes watching him from below.   
  
    Finally he took a deep breath before he made a running leap into the water. It was fast, so fast. One moment he could feel it rushing past him, tossing him around before it simply stopped.  
  
    Grass.  
  
    He could feel grass under his fingers, under his cheek. He pushed himself up, trying to see where he was but it was still nothing but grass. He had to stand to see past it, all of it reaching past his waist. He froze for a moment when he saw how far it went, forever. The blades swung about in the breeze, like waves on the water. The horizon was dark, dusk perhaps. He followed the gradient of colors up to see a full moon in the sky, bigger than he’d ever seen.   
  
    It wasn’t quite what he expected. A field, certainly, but he thought it’d be some kind of farm with how Jack described his home. He turned around, wondering if there was even anything else here. His gaze met a mountain range, snow covering the tops and the stars over them flashing like snowflakes. They seemed huge, impossibly far and yet so close at the same time. He followed the hills around until he saw the barn, surrounded by a fence. The building seemed well intact, but even from here he could see a couple of missing roof pieces and wooden planks out of place.   
  
    Where was Jack?  
  
    It was strange, standing there, looking at how vast it all was. It’s not that his mind wasn’t much the same, but the clutter of buildings made it seem smaller. He had his island or his boat keeping it contained to something manageable, but this? Gabriel felt like if he wandered in the wrong direction he’d never find his way back.  
  
    The longer he stood there the harder it was to breath. Even with how open it was he felt some kind of pressure on his shoulders. And it was quiet, it was so damn quiet. Even with the breeze there were no birds, no honking cars, it felt so...  
  
    Empty.   
  
    The pressure was reaching his throat now and he ran towards the barn. Jack had to be there, right? Where else would he be. The grass brushed against his legs as he moved, a rhythmic sound that would have been soothing if not for his oncoming panic. Where was it even coming from?   
  
    “Jack?” His voice cracked when he called out, leaping clean over the fence. “Jackie?”  
  
    His boyfriend’s familiar face popped up from the huge window on the second floor. He looked surprised before he grinned and waved.  
  
    “Gabe, hey. You actually made it. Just wait right there.”   
  
    The clattering in the barn kept him grounded, the sound of boots against wood as he assumed Jack returned to ground level. He could hear some kind of latch clicking on the huge barn door before Jack pushed it open. His grin was still there as he ran out, tackling Gabriel into a hug.   
  
    “Well? What do you think? I know it’s not much but-” That grin finally fell, his eyes going wide. “Gabe? What’s wrong?”  
  
    Gabriel was about to ask what he was talking about until he was suddenly aware of the dampness on his face. He was crying? How long had that been happening? When he tried to wipe them away he realized how much there actually was.   
  
    “I think the pup is just a bit overwhelmed.”  
  
    He spun around, not recognizing the deep voice. At first all he could see was white fur. He had to tilt his head back to see the face of the wolf, Jack’s wolf.  
  
    “Holy shit,” He almost shouted and stumbled backwards into his boyfriend. “Holy shit, Jackie, why didn’t you tell me he was this huge?”  
  
    “I thought I did?”  
  
    Whitefang laughed, a wheezy sound from his throat as he showed his teeth. “I may be young but not that young.”  
  
    “What do you mean overwhelmed?” Jack changed the subject, gripping Gabriel’s shoulders.   
  
    “This place is nothing more than a visual representation of you mind.” The wolf leaned down to be more eye level. “I suppose what you feel when you see it and what he feels are rather different. Sometimes it’s jarring. He’ll be fine.”  
  
    Jack turned Gabriel around, concern still lining his features. “What _do_ you feel?”  
  
    “Shit, I don’t know.” He wiped away tears again. “I guess it’s just so different. Mine is a lot more crowded, sort of, you know? This,” He waved at the fields. “This just feels so...”  
  
    “Open?”  
  
    “Empty.”   
  
    Jack’s vacant stare left him feeling more anxious by the second. Then his boyfriend gave him a soft smile and tugged him toward the barn. “Come on, I think this will fix that.”   
  
    The barn seemed warmer, somehow, even if it wasn’t actually cold outside. He almost expected it to be dusty but that didn’t make any sense. Instead, the walls were covered in photos and trinkets. A few shelves in the back were lined with books. Boxes and chests were pressed up against the walls, filled with other things he assumed. It wasn’t much different from the boat in his mind.   
  
    “There’s even more upstairs.” Jack kept tugging. “Come on you have to see this.”   
  
    The ladder up to the loft was tiny but held firm as both of them climbed up. The floor was rather clear, particles of dust drifting in the stream of light coming from the window. There was actually hay there, pushed out to the sides like some kind of nest. There wasn’t as much stuff, but Gabriel took note of the stack of comic books and one stuffed bear with a pilot’s helmet.  
  
    “Come here.” Jack plopped down onto the hay and patted it. “You really have to see this.”  
  
    Gabriel questioned what there was to see when he sat down, leaning against the frame of the window. The air was nice and the view would be too if there was anything to look at besides grass.   
  
    Jack closed one eye, holding out his hand with his thumb up. Gabriel couldn’t possibly figure out what he was doing, following his line of sight to the giant moon in the sky.  
  
    Then suddenly it moved, practically flew up and over their heads taking the night sky with it. The black and purple gave way to pale blues and a shade of pink. Gabriel’s jaw went slack when he saw that touch of orange peaking out of the horizon, lighting everything up. The grass seemed to shine, the shadows of the waves clearer than ever before.   
  
    “You said you wanted to see the sunrise. It’s not exact, but it’s pretty close.”  
  
    Gabriel had seen sunrises before, but something about this looked different, felt different. Like time had started moving again, slowly, and he was actually ready to face the world ahead of him.   
  
    “Doesn’t feel quite as empty, right?”  
  
    He looked over at Jack and his amazement became overwhelming. That dot of orange made his blue eyes glitter, made the strands of his hair light up. The shadows outlined his face, showing the dips and curves and Gabriel wanted nothing more than to feel them under his finger tips.   
  
    So he did.  
  
    Jack leaned into the touch, eyes falling shut. Gabriel didn’t hesitate to pull him closer, kissing the line of his jaw, wondering if he could taste the sun’s rays on his skin. The scent of morning dew hit his nose as the breeze brushed past them. For a moment he imagined they were somewhere else, waking up at dawn with a gentle rain outside. The open window letting in the cool air. Nowhere they needed to be, all the time in the world to enjoy the quiet moments.   
  
    “Gabe?”  
  
    The hand against his face made him realize he was crying again.   
  
    “You sure you’re okay?” Jack was trying not to laugh as he brushed the tears away.   
  
    “Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on.”   
  
    “What were you thinking about?”   
  
    Gabriel pressed their foreheads together. The light from the rising sun was so bright but it didn’t hurt at all. “Thinking about us, somewhere else. No more worrying about missions or PR or pretending we’re only comrades and not... I always hoped we could get there when this was over.”   
  
    Suddenly that pressure returned again. Gabriel couldn’t place at all where it was coming from but he tried to chase it away with a deep breath.   
  
    “We’ll get there Gabe.” Jack placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.  
  
    “When?”  
  
    “I don’t know, but we’ll get there.” He stood without letting go, tugging Gabriel up with him. “Come on, there’s plenty more to show you.”  
  
    The pair made their way back down the ladder. Whitefang was curled up in the corner now, enjoying a nap. Gabriel resisted the urge to flop on top of the wolf, not at all sure how the creature would react.  
  
    Jack started taking him through photo after photo, showing him family members, events, Gabriel was almost amazed by how much there was. A part of him envied Jack for having that many stories about his family, but he imagined Jack felt the same. He often talked about how much he wished he could have gone on as many adventures as Gabriel did. It seemed like he didn’t travel very far from his home.   
  
    “Aw look,” Gabriel was grinned as he shifted through one box of pictures. “There’s Mr. Brace Face.”  
  
    Jack spun around, eyes wide. He made a scramble for the picture but Gabriel darted out of his reach.   
  
    “Look at you. What was this, freshman year? You’re so damn tiny. And are those freckles? What happened to those?”  
  
    “Grew out of them.”  
  
    “Shame, we should try and get them back. Put you on the beach for a few days.”   
  
    “Whenever the UN actually gives us a vacation.”  
  
    Gabriel snorted, finally handing the photo over. “You’re telling me. Even when this PR stuff is done it won’t be over. Not with you appointed as Strike Commander.”   
  
    Suddenly everything froze.   
  
    Both literally and figuratively.   
  
    The wind stopped, the air stopped. Jack went rigid where he stood, eyes wide as the photo fell out of his fingers. A light crack was the only sound Gabriel could hear and when he turned to search it out he saw all the snow outside. When the hell had that gotten there? Ice crawled in from the doorway, snapping and groaning as it covered the wood of the barn.  
  
    “Jack?” Gabriel said, but his boyfriend didn’t respond. “Jack? What’s going on? Hey!”   
  
    He reached towards him but the motion was cut off by a sudden blast of cold wind. He flinched, feeling ice and snow hit his skin. The swirl of it all made the barn fade out into nothing but white. He tried reaching out once more but Jack was gone.  
  
    He was gone. The barn was gone. The only thing around him was ice and snow. He felt panic setting in for a moment before he shook his head and shouted.  
  
    “Whitefang?”  
  
    The wolf was there in a second, yellow eyes glowing in the fog.  
  
    “What the hell happened? Where’s Jack?”  
  
    “Nightmare,” The wolf crouched down. “He fell into a nightmare. I need to get you out of here.”  
  
    “Whoa whoa, no way. We have to snap him out of it.”  
  
    “Child of the sun, if you get lost in here you may get trapped.”  
  
    “I can’t just wake up and leave him like this.”   
  
    The wolf’s gaze was so intimidating, cold and serious. Finally he snapped his head to the side. “Climb on.”   
  
    “Huh?”  
  
    “Climb on my back and hold on tight. We must find him.”   
  
    Gabriel didn’t hesitate to do as he was told. The wolf’s fur was cold to the touch, tiny threads of ice under his fingers. He ignored the sensation and gripped the fur on his neck, praying it would be enough.  
  
    Whitefang straightened up, sniffing the air for a few beats before he took off. The motion almost sent Gabriel flying. Ice scraped across his cheeks with the harsh wind. He struggled to keep his eyes open, wondering how he could find Jack in this mess.  
  
    The wolf must have found something, letting out a bark and a growl as he turned. His pace slowed down as he lowered his head, nosing through the snow. He dug his paws in, tossing the snow behind him before gripping something below it.  
  
    With a few sharp tugs he pulled Jack to the surface by the sleeve of his shirt.  
  
    “Jack?” Gabriel called out as he slid off the spirit’s back. Jack’s eyes were shut, his skin turning an awful shade of blue.  
  
    He didn’t hesitate to reach out.  
  
    “Gabriel.”  
  
    The use of his name startled him. He turned back to look at the wolf, those glowing yellow eyes fixed on him.  
  
    “Listen to me. If you touch him now you must not let go. Do you understand?”  
  
    “Why not?”   
  
    “Not only could it harm you but he would vanish again. Regardless of what you see or hear you must _not_ let go.”  
  
    “If it’s that risky why are you letting me do this?”  
  
    “Because, you are the only one who could solve this.”  
  
    “Solve what?”  
  
    The wolf said nothing. He only nodded his gaze toward Jack.  
  
    Gabriel knelt down, cold snow pressed under his knees. He tried to ignite his palms, but it failed. Must not work here.  
  
    Didn’t matter. He grabbed Jack’s shoulders and pulled him closer.  
  
    “Jackie? Hey. Come on, tell me you can hear me.”  
  
    Suddenly the space around him glitched. There was no other way to describe it. Parts of the ground changed color. The howling wind distorted and froze, before changing into another sound.  
  
     _“Congratulations, my friend.”_  
  
 _“Good work Jack.”_  
  
 _“You’ll do a wonderful job.”_  
  
    Gabriel recognized the voices, but more and more of them swirled around. Space kept distorting, colors shifting before it flashed.  
  
    He tightened his grip.  
  
     _Don’t let go._  
  
    A wall, he was staring at a wall. No, looking up it was a desk. Faces shrouded in shadows stared down at him.  
  
   _“This is a great opportunity.”_ They spoke in unison.  
  
    That same pressure from earlier reappeared. Bit by bit it pressed down on his chest and shoulders.  
  
   _Don’t let go._  
  
 _“I can’t,”_ He could hear Jack’s voice but he couldn’t see him. _“Wouldn’t someone else be better suited?”_  
  
    Wait, was this about the promotion? Why was this a nightmare?  
  
  _“Reyes has been assigned his own task. He insisted we ask you.”_  
  
    That was a lie. He didn’t know about this at all until Jack brought it up. Did those bastards lie to him? To make him take the job?  
  
    The pressure got worse by the second. Gabriel was having trouble breathing but he kept hanging on.  
  
   _Don’t let go._  
  
   _“I’m not a leader.”_ Jack said. The wall of shadowed faces faded out. _“Hey! No! I’m not-”_  
  
    Everything was dark. A low growl cut through the silence and Gabriel could feel fear rising up his spine. He tried to call out but his chest hurt. His muscles could barely move under the gravity around him.  
  
    “You’re no leader.” A voice taunted. “You’re a dog. You follow. You obey. You’re incapable on your own.”  
  
    Gabriel wished he could tell them to shut the hell up. He wished, but his lungs weren’t even working now. Any more of this and he swore his legs would break.   
  
   _“Everything special about you came from someone else.”_  
  
    It felt like the voice was talking to him now.   
  
   _“You can’t carry that weight.”_  
  
 _“You’ll just let them down.”_  
  
    His chest burned from the lack of air. He wondered if his vision was going spotty but there was still nothing but black.   
  
    Then he saw something, two red dots fading in. A line of sharp white teeth followed, shaped into a snarl.  
  
     _Don’t let go._  
  
    He wouldn’t. He didn’t dare. Not now. Not ever.  
  
    The image in front of him was going hazy. He swore he felt his ribs cracking.  
  
    “Gabriel.” Whitefang’s voice was distant, muffled. “Gabriel!”  
  
    The creature in front of him lunged.  
  
    The second after his eyes flew open he gasped for air. He sat up so fast that his vision turned into nothing but spots. The pressure vanished but his muscles still echoed the pain. He kept on breathing, begging the dizziness to pass.  
  
    No. Jack.   
  
    Gabriel swore as he turned to his partner. Jack was still asleep, eyebrows pressed together and showing his fangs.  
  
    Gabriel knew one wrong move could result in those sinking into his arm.  
  
    Didn’t matter. He gently touched Jack’s face, feeling him flinch.  
  
    “Wake up, _mi luna_. It’s a dream. I’m right here.”  
  
    Soothing words had little effect. A whimper escaped Jack’s throat.   
  
    “Jack.” He called louder. This time the fire in his palms worked and he ran his thumb over Jack’s cheek.  
  
    Finally Jack opened his eyes, startled. Gabriel gave him a moment to glance around, not moving his hands.  
  
    “You’re safe, _mi luna_.”  
  
    “Gabe?” Jack sputtered. “The hell happened?”  
  
    “Nightmare dragged you in.”  
  
    Jack’s breathing slowed down but only so much. He ran a hand over his face, flinching when he touched fangs.  
  
    “Were you dreaming about your promotion?”  
  
    Jack went cold under his fingers. “How did you know?”  
  
    “I saw it.”  
  
    “Shit, shit, I’m sorry Gabe.”  
  
    “Jack.”  
  
    “I didn’t mean for you to get wrapped into that.”  
  
    “Why didn’t you tell me?”  
  
    Jack blinked and finally looked at him. “What?”  
  
    “That _pressure_ Jack. I thought it was just me, that being in your head was messing with me, but it was you.” He paused, running over the rest of the events that occurred. “Is that what I was feeling when I got there?”  
  
    “Gabe.”  
  
    “Was your wolf covering for you?”  
  
    Jack cringed and looked away.  
  
    He resumed the soothing motions of his thumb. “Jackie please, talk to me. What’s going on?”   
  
    It was a long, painful silence. Jack’s eyes stayed fixed on the hotel nightstand. With everything so quiet, Gabriel realized it was raining outside.  
  
    “They should have chosen someone else to be strike commander.” Jack’s eyes looked so lost.  
  
    “Huh? Come on Jack, you know that’s not true.”  
  
    A cold, icy glare was the response to that. Jack shot up, forcing Gabriel to let go.  
  
    “Isn’t it? I can’t begin to think of a good reason for them to choose me. You know it’s probably PR or something. You would do far better. Ana would.”  
  
    “Hey,” Gabriel grabbed his shoulders. “Jack, you earned this.”  
  
    “That’s a lie.”  
  
    “No it’s not.”  
  
    “Yes it is,” The fangs were back. “I’ve been riding your coat tail since day one. All the plans, strategies, final decisions, they were all yours. You’re the one who put an end to this. Why wouldn’t they choose you?”   
  
    “Because I didn’t do it alone. I couldn’t have done it alone. You won’t have to either.”  
  
    “That’s a lie.”  
  
    Gabriel pressed his anger back. “The hell? Ana’s here. Torb’s here. Reinhardt’s here.”  
  
    “But you won’t be.”  
  
    He froze. The sparks under his skin sputtered out. “What?”  
  
    “Blackwatch HQ is set to be in another country, Gabe.” Jack rolled his shoulders but stopped when he realized that Gabriel wasn’t going to let go. “You’ll be there. Somewhere else.”  
  
    “We have phones you know.”  
  
    His sarcastic remark was met with a glare. “But you won’t be here. You won’t be watching my back.”  
  
    Gabriel though about that lonely and empty sensation from earlier. So this is where it was coming from.  
  
    “Besides, Blackwatch? Why would they put you there of all places.”  
  
    “Huh?”  
  
    “You’re a healer, Gabe.” Jack reached up and took both of his hands. “You’re meant to be saving lives.”  
  
    “And you’re not?”  
  
    He didn’t like the silence that followed that question.  
  
    “You’re not just some attack dog, Jack.”   
  
    His partner’s gaze shot up, wide and fearful.  
  
    “You’re not. And if anyone says otherwise bring them to me.”  
  
    “I’m not a leader, Gabe.”  
  
    “That’s a lie.” He used Jack’s words.  
  
    “No it’s not. I can’t make those big decisions. I don’t know how they expect me to make them for everyone else.”  
  
    Pressure. Yet again, Jack was trying to carry it all on his shoulders, as if he had to.  
  
    Gabriel took a deep breath, pulling his hands back before shoving Jack onto the bed. Before his partner could get up he pinned him down, hands on his cheeks.  
  
    “Jack, listen to me, okay?”  
  
    He seemed taken aback by something when he nodded.   
  
    “You earned this. I know you might not think so because you’re looking at everything from the wrong angle, but you did. Plans? Tactics? Strategies? It’s all good to have, but that’s shit you can learn, shit you’ve been learning. You know what I can’t teach? I can’t teach a man how to calm down a group of frightened kids with one joke. I can’t teach a man to be so selfless he charges out on a slim chance he could save someone. Shit, Jack, I learned that from you.”  
  
    “That was reckless and stupid.” Jack tried to look away, but Gabriel shook his head.   
  
    “Yes, yes it was, but it doesn’t matter when it manages to save that many lives. ‘Stick to the plan’ is great in theory, but bad in practice. Plans go to shit left and right. Nothing wrong with breaking the rules and making new ones in order to save someone.”  
  
    “But Gabe–”  
  
    “But what? I’m not done. Your instincts are sharper than you realize. Wolf or not you always made sure people on the team were safe. Not once was I ever stressed about back-up when you were around. You always had my back, and Ana’s, and Reinhardt’s despite how much he’d go on and on about shielding us.”   
  
    “Come on, anyone would do that for their teammates.”   
  
    “Yeah, but you’d do it for anyone Jack. You’re the one who first said we should cease firing on the omnics after the god program was dead. You’re the one who pointed out they were non-hostiles. Sure, I may have stopped the omnic crisis, but you’re the one who turned the whole thing on its head.”  
  
    Jack was blushing now, that shade of pink running from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.   
  
    “I put you as second in command because I knew what you were capable of Jackie. I saw what you could do in SEP. I knew you’d be more than capable. You keep saying you can’t do this without me but I couldn’t have done it without you either. Maybe I had the plans, but you’re the one who put fire into everyone’s souls. I’ve never been good at speeches, but you? I could leave you alone with a group of jet lagged soldiers and suddenly they’d be rioting to get out there and get to work. You _inspire_ people Jack. That’s why I figured they chose you. That’s why I knew they chose right because that’s what the world needs now. They don’t just need a tactician, they need inspiration.”   
  
    Jack’s eyes shown with tears before he blinked them away. That blush had crawled down his neck all the way to his shoulders and god damn Gabriel loved it.   
  
    “I don’t know if I can do this.” His voice cracked.  
  
    “You can.”  
  
    “I’m scared.”  
  
    “That’s okay.” Gabriel pressed their foreheads together and pulled him close enough that he could feel Jack’s eyelashes brush over his skin. “But are you going to face that head on? Or run away.”   
  
    Jack chuckled, a hand running over the back of Gabriel’s neck. “If I’m honest, I thought about it once. I thought about just you and me, getting out of here, finding a place of our own. Letting someone else take over. Then I realized how selfish that sounded.”   
  
    “ _Mi luna_ , you’re only human. It’s about time you stopped trying to make yourself so much bigger than you really are. That kind of pressure’s going to kill you.”  
  
    “I know,” His smile widened. “You’ve told me a hundred times.”   
  
    “Then listen,” Gabriel bumped their heads together before they both started laughing. He enjoyed the sound, enjoyed it mixing in with the soft rain outside, but something was missing.  
  
    “What time is it?” He asked as he sat up.   
  
    Jack seemed to pout from the lack of contact but looked over at the clock. “Twelve after two.”   
  
    “Guess we should sleep more.” Gabriel stood up and wandered over to the hotel window. He thought about throwing the drapes open but knew that the media would have a field day if they caught them both in here. Instead he nudged it to the side as he messed with the window latch. The window only opened so far and he let out a frustrated growl as he considered just breaking it.   
  
    Still, it was enough, he could smell the rain by now as the cool air blew in. He rested his head against it for a moment, feeling the cold glass as he shut his eyes. He imagined they were somewhere else.  
  
    “Gabe?”  
  
    Jack was sitting up now, frowning. His eyes were doing that glowing thing again. It might be creepy if Gabriel wasn’t so used to it by now.   
  
    He couldn’t help his smile, crossing the room in a heartbeat. The moment he could reach Jack he pulled him into a kiss, feeling that late night stubble scratch against his skin. He smiled, unable to stop his giggling which made it much harder to give Jack a proper kiss. Soon his partner was laughing as well, rubbing their noses together instead as the pair of them collapsed back onto the bed.   
  
    “ _Te amo,_ Jackie. _Mi luna. Mi amor_.”   
  
    “Love you too, Gabi.” He chimed out the nickname. “Sunshine. Light of my life.”   
  
    “You’re so freaking gay.”  
  
    “Excuse me,” Jack’s laughter became louder. “But I’m the bisexual. You’re the gay one.”   
  
    “After what you just said? Are you sure?”  
  
    “That’s rich coming from the guy who literally wrote an entire song about my eyes.”   
  
    “You make blue look good, okay?”  
  
    “Gay.”  
  
    Gabriel grabbed his pillow and lightly smacked Jack in the face. His partner didn’t hesitate to retaliate with a much harder hit. The fight was on, Gabe already tossing the sheets over Jack’s face to block his vision. Gabriel smacked him again, but didn’t see the hit coming in on his left. He grinned when he tackled Jack, trying to pin him down, but both of them hit the nightstand instead. The lamp on it wobbled for a moment before Gabriel’s arm shot out to catch it.   
  
    For a moment everything froze. Gabriel’s other hand held Jack up and away from falling onto the floor. His partner finally pulled the blanket off his face, studying what had just happened.   
  
    When their gazes met the laughter returned. Jack wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck, pulling himself back onto the bed.   
  
    “I hate thinking that we won’t be able to do this anymore.” His partner mumbled and tightened his grip.   
  
    “I know,” Gabriel had considered it too, but he refused to think it’d be the last chance they had. They’d get another one, someday, maybe something more permanent. “Do you really want to know what I was thinking about, watching that sunrise?”  
  
    “What?”  
  
    “This,” He pressed his face into Jack’s shoulder. “Us, somewhere else, no PR or anything. Sometime in the early morning, but it’s raining out. Window’s open, smells like dew and rainwater. Maybe I’m humming a song while you read or maybe we’re dozing off again, I don’t know. Doesn’t really matter what we do. We’ve got nowhere to be.”   
  
    “Gabe.”  
  
    “Hm?”  
  
    He felt something sharp brush against his neck. “I kind of... _don’t_ want to sleep now.”   
  
    “Whoa,” His whole face went hot. “Slow down there. Gotta get some towels first. I am not explaining to the hotel staff why there’s god damn blood all over their pillows.”   
  
    “Better be quick,” Jack very lightly bit down on his skin. “You don’t get to say something that poetic and run off.”   
  
    “Fine, but you have to get off me first.”  
  
    Jack just hummed before he bit down a bit harder, running his tongue over it. Gabriel couldn’t stop the noise that escaped his throat and frowned when he felt Jack laughing against his skin.   
  
    “Jackass.”  
  
    “Asshole.” 


End file.
